Abstract: The San José State University Faculty Wives Club Records, 1929-1996, document the history of the club over a 60-year period.
The collection consists of meeting minutes, financial records, newsletters, and membership rosters. In addition, the collection
includes scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, member biographies, photographs, and University Dames Club materials. This collection
is arranged into four series: Series I. Administrative Files, 1938-2011; Series II. Subject Files, 1956-1991; Series III.
Scrapbooks and Publicity Materials, 1929-2007; and Series IV. University Dames Club Materials, 1960-1974.

Physical location: Vault 1, Range 25B

Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English

Access

The collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the
original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred Citation

San Jose State University Faculty Wives Club Records, MSS-2010-03-02 , San José State University Library Special Collections
& Archives.

This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008. The Project Director is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.

Organizational History

In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers
in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California
State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San
José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed
the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed
in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes,
Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations,
and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.

The San José State University Faculty Wives Club organized in the late 1940s as a means of fostering friendship among the
wives of SJSU faculty members. The Faculty Wives Club began by hosting monthly events and activities for its members, such
as fashion shows, cooking, and handcrafting. In addition, club members also participated in fundraising efforts for student
scholarships. Today, the Faculty Wives Club continues to award three student scholarships of $2,000 each annually.

Walsh, James P. San José
State University: An Interpretive History, 1950-2000. San José, California: San José State University, 2003.

Scope and Content of Collection

The San José State University Faculty Wives Club Records, 1929-2011, documents the history of the club over a 60-year period.
The collection consists of meeting minutes, financial records, newsletters, and rosters. In addition, the collection includes
scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, member biographies, photographs, and University Dames Club materials.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into four series: Series I. Administrative Files, 1938-2011; Series II. Subject Files, 1956-1991;
Series III. Scrapbooks and Publicity Materials, 1929-2007; and Series IV. University Dames Club Materials, 1960-1974.

Subject Headings

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

San José State University -- Faculty Wives Club -- History

San José State University -- University Dames Club -- History

San José State Teachers College -- History

San José State College -- History

California State University, San Jose -- History

San José State University -- History

San José State University -- Funds and scholarships

Women -- Societies and clubs

Education, Higher -- California -- San José

Collection Contents

Series I:
Administrative Files1938-2011

Physical Description: 4 boxes

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series consists of Faculty Wives Club administrative records, including membership documents, newsletters, and financial
records. The materials document special events focused on community service, cultural awareness, and philanthropy to promote
student advancement.

This series consists of Faculty Wives Club member biographies, newspaper clippings, photographs, scholarship information,
and the publication
Reminiscing with Faculty Wives of San José State College (1956), written by Evelyn Bell Settles, Chairman of the Faculty Wives Club History Committee.

Arrangement

This series is arranged by format.

Box 5

Member Biographies and History, Newspaper Clippings, Photographs, Autobiography of Lifetime Members, Member Collection of
Recipes
1955-1991

Box 6

Publications of "Reminiscing with Faculty Members of San Jose State College"
1956

Series III:
Scrapbooks and Publicity Materials1929-2007

Physical Description: 6 boxes

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series consists of Faculty Wives Club scrapbooks and publicity materials focused primarily on community service, cultural
awareness, and philanthropy. Fundraising events such as bake sales, fashion shows, and silent auctions are well documented
in this series. These events supported student scholarships.

Arrangement

This series is arranged by format.

Boxes 7-12

Scrapbooks and Publicity Materials1929-2007

Series IV:
University Dames Club Materials1960-1974

Physical Description: 1 box

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series consists of University Dames Club administrative records, meeting minutes, financial records, scrapbooks, and
publicity materials. The University Dames represents a group of wives of male students at San Jose State University that
became the protégées of Faculty Wives. The University Dames and Faculty Wives co-sponsored many like minded events and activities.